Cartoon Violence

A new study came out today that states that kids cartoons are more violent than ever. The study seems to feel that today's cartoons with laser and sword fighting are much more damaging than the humorous violence of Wily Coyote and Tom & Jerry.

Luckily my kids are too young to watch the Cartoon Network, which purportedly is the most violent. We are big fans of Sprout and I can always trust that the shows on it are gentle and interesting for my kids.

If anything, I think that some of the networks today are churning out shows that are so anti-violence or anything potentially controversial, they are actually banal, and I don't mean that in a nice way.

Several children's programs that I have watched with Nate recently make me want to gag with their insipidness. One in particular, Disney's Little Einsteins, really bothers me. For one, it cashes in on the whole Baby Einstein product, the videos marketed to parents of infants promising to make your newborns smarter. (Disney purchased the Julie Clark Einstein Company a few years ago)

The Little Einsteins are 4 toddlers that go on adventures, and the whole show is set to classical music and features paintings by famous artists. On one hand, I am all for including classical music and art. On the other hand, I find the 4 Einstein children to be pedantic, insipid, and, worst of all, boring. They have zero sense of humor, unlike another Disney Show, Higglytown Heroes, which makes me laugh with its zany sense of humor and imperfect characters.

I watch TV for entertainment value, and I let my kids watch it so I can get the dishes done, dinner cooked, go to the bathroom, etc... undisturbed. Additionally, I wonder whether parents today are so overly concerned about exposing their children to any negative influence that we over-protect them and shield them unnecessarily. Life is not always a rosy place, and I think kids instinctively know this. Would it be better to relax our guard a little and let some murkiness into their lives, teaching them that they have a safe haven in our protective arms if they need it?

I just don't know, and I find myself grappling with this issue more and more as Nate grows older and his friends and interests grow more out of my direct control.